Top 10 "Good" NES Horror Games

Top 10's are always a good way to catch people's attention. It's October, it's almost time for Halloween and what better way to celebrate than to have a top 10 countdown of the best horror themed NES games. You wouldn't believe how many horror themed games there are, or better yet games that try to be horror themed. Given the graphical capabilities of the NES these games are extremely tame and not scary at all by today's standards. Although these games were scary 20+ years ago before the technical advancements in graphics made FMV possible and made possible horror games such as Silent Hill(we'll get to that later). Not all of these games are classics but a lot of them are. Be careful though if you play some of these games as they carry the NES Hard label, so modern gamers most likely WILL have trouble completing them. Now onto the games.

10. Werewolf the Last Warrior
I'm pretty sure that most people have never heard of this game. The game has terrible controls, I mean why is B jump and A attack. The controls are so bad; jumping is awkward and moving around feels so delayed. The graphics are bland at best and really aren't much to look at, especially considering that this game came out in 1990. The game features some of the worst hit detection I've ever seen in a video game, you don't even have to be close to the enemy to hit them and vice versa. This werewolf has to be one of the weakest I've ever seen outside of the Twilight series. It gets hurt by twigs, rocks, and some kind of moving bush that hold you in place. Other enemies in the game include ninjas, bats, and the puddys from power rangers. The cut-scene for the werewolf transformation looks ridiculous until the last scene where he's fully transformed. So far this game has horrible controls, bad graphics, terrible hit detection, and ugly cut-scenes. So why should you play? 3 WORDS: BLADES FOR HANDS, the werewolf hands are blades in which its uses for all its attacks and if that's not awesome I don't know what is.

9. Frankenstein
In this game Frankenstein's monster or just Frankenstein, as the game calls it, has destroyed your village and kidnapped your girl Emily and now you must save her. I guess the developers wanted to do something similar to Castlevania without actually copying it, by making Frankenstein's monster the villain instead of Dracula. The game is a simple sidescroller with some platforming. The game starts off easy enough, walking down the street defeating easy enemies. That is until after you make it to the Grim Reaper. He's not too difficult, but after you defeat him a bird comes and takes you back to the beginning of the stage. That has to be one of the cheapest things ever put into a video game, even cheaper than electric seaweed. But after getting past the reaper the rest of the game is just one annoying thing after the other. This game is the reason I put quotations around the good int the title, because it's not really a good game, it's just better than other horror games like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm St.

8. Bram Stoker's Dracula
Now this game is far better than the previous two , but that really not saying a whole lot. The game follows the same story as the film, you play as Keanu Reeves trying to stop Dracula. The game isn't too bad but a lot of things could have been much better. For one the graphics could have been improved, for 1992 they look pretty awful. The gameplay could have ironed out a few flaws and not taken the question mark blocks straight out of Super Mario. In the end it’s not a bad game and it’s much better than a lot of other NES games I've played.

7. Monster Party
Monster party was a game made in 1989 by Bandai. This game is very bizarre and that makes it stand out among other NES titles. The story is that a boy named Mark is taken by a Gargoyle alien named Bert to the dark realm to rid it of evil monsters. The two of the fuse together and Mark can transform into Bert for a short time. Well if that isn't weird enough the game has some of the monster bizarre enemies I've ever seen in a video game. They range from a giant talking plant and a giant cat to walking pants and a giant fried shrimp. The gameplay is that of a simple side-scroller. Mark can attack enemies and deflect projectiles with his bat. The game is fun, there's not many games from the last 1980's that I consider a lot of fun. The real reason I consider this a horror game besides the monsters is the graphics. In the first stage happy smiling faces transform into bloody skulls.

6.Uninvited
Uninvited is a point and click game for the NES released in 1986. It involves an unnamed protagonist trying to save his sibling, who is also unnamed. The game takes place in a haunted house, which was owned by a sorcerer. There is a heavy focus on magic in the game, which make some of the puzzles that much harder to solve. Point and Click games really aren't my favorite genre, it moves way too slowly, but with the creepy atmosphere, zombies, and ghosts, it's the perfect game for Halloween.

5. Zombie Nation
This is a game that makes absolutely no sense to me no matter how many times I play. From the story to the gameplay, this is just one strange game. The plot of the game is that an evil alien named “Darc Seed” crash lands in the Nevada desert in 1999. Darc Seed shoots rays that turn everyone in the United States into zombies and brings the Statue of Liberty to life to follow its commands. Darc Seed controls many weapons; the strongest of which is the legendary samurai sword Shura. To stop the evil Darc Seed the head of the samurais, Namakubi heads to the United States to reclaim the sword and free America from zombification. This actually sounds like a good story to me and could have complemented the gameplay nicely. Instead, the gameplay and the story seem like two completely separate things, it’s like they wrote the story for a different game and placed it in this one instead. The gameplay is that of a sidescrolling shmup. You play as Namakubi, a disembodied flying head that shoots what looks like rocks (from what I understand they’re eyeballs and vomit). You must fight your way through 4 levels fighting enemies such as tanks, airplanes, and zeppelins. Despite the ridiculous looking gameplay, Zombie Nation is actually a pretty fun game; even if it isn’t anything like you’d expect it to be.

4. Splatterhouse Wanpuku Graffiti
Now we’re getting to the really good horror games. This splatterhouse game is actually a parody of the original splatterhouse and horror movies of the time. The game features cartoony , deformed characters and has a very comical approach to series. The game begins with a cutscene of Jennifer crying over Rick’s grave. Lightning strikes the graves reviving Rick, which is a parody of Friday the 13th,. Lightning strikes one more time reviving the pumpkin kking who subsequently kidnaps Jennifer. You play through 8 levels to rescue Jennifer, defeating deformed parody monsters throughout the game. The gameplay is that of a platformer and has great controls. The game is a lot of fun and isn’t too difficult like most other NES games of the time. It’s one of the few NES games that I can actually play through anytime without having to worry about whether I finish it or not. If you can find it you should check it out.
3. Maniac Mansion
Maniac Mansion is a game created by Lucas Arts in 1990. The game is another point and click adventure but unlike The Uninvited there is a lot of humor in the game. The game introduced numerous new ideas for games including the use of multiple characters. The plot of the game is that a metor crash landed in the front yard of a mansion that belongs to the Edison family 20 years ago. This event brought about a change in the Edison family and strange disappearances started to occur. Now Sandy Pantz has been kidnapped by Dr. Edison and it’s up to her boyfriend Dave Miller and his college friends to save her. The game is considered a classic and has a pretty strong following, mostly because of the unique humor featured in the game. The game has many jokes and gameplay elements that help differentiate it from other point and click games on the NES, for one thing it’s not in first person view. There are 6 different characters to choose from each with specific abilities to help in the quest. There are also multiple endings for the game. If you’re looking for something different on the NES then this game is definitely for you, especially with Halloween right around the corner.
2. Ghosts n’ Goblins
I’m sure this game needs no introduction, as most people know it as one of the best NES games ever made, so I won’t go into a lengthy review. The only problem I have with the game is that it is far too hard. Most people will say that I just suck at the game and I need to improve, but the in the end the game shouldn’t be as hard as it is. Kinda like Ninja Gaiden is unfairly difficult. I’ve never beaten the game but I have heard that you have to beat the game twice, so it doesn’t seem very likely that I’ll ever beat the game seeing as I cannot beat it even once. I believe the game is a great Halloween game though sinceit features zombies, devils, cyclops’, etc. If you haven’t played this game you should give it a try, afterwards you will know the meaning of NES hard.
1. Castlevania III
Another game that needs no introduction, Castlevania 3 is the best of the NES Castlevania trilogy. The is truly one of the best games made for the NES. You play as Trevor Belmont going to stop Dracula, the usual Castlevania story. This game is at the top of the horror list because of its atmosphere and enemies, especially Dracula. The game has a nice balance of fun gameplay and hard difficulty, even though it leans more toward the hard difficulty. This is one of my favorite games and if you haven’t played you should, it might becomeone of yours as well.

Monster in My Pocket-Good Game..Cheap Ending

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I had never heard of this until last year when I saw a game quickie by the happy nerd. He didn't think much of it but its a pretty decent game with some flaws. You can play as either the vampire or Frankenstein's monster as you travel through six levels to defeat your arch rival the warlock. The controls are smooth for the most part and you have a nice double jump..any game with a double jump is welcome. The graphics are good but I feel as if the color scheme could have had some more colors. Another problem is the lack of weapons, you get three different weapons in the game, the energy slash(I guess), the key, and the screw. The key and the screw can only be found in certain levels, which sucks. The game play is your run of the mill plat former except your a tiny monster. Stages range from a house to the sewers. The boss battles are all pretty fun and aren't too difficult, as a matter of fact this game isn't too difficult and can be beaten in about 20 minutes. The only halfway hard part about the game in the last level with its annoying T-Rex and Ghidrah(from Godzilla) monsters. Now the thing that really pisses me off about the game is the ending. After you defeat the final boss you are given a screen that looks like the ending but no you have another boss battle to fight. When I first played this game I didn't know there was gonna be another boss, so when the end screen came up I wasn't even looking at the TV..then before I knew the boss was killing me ( know that I was on my last life and continue), I lost and had to start the game all over again. That sent me in into a obscenity filled rant that even the neighbors could hear and I hate the game for it even if it's not really that bad.

Gremlins 2-Nes

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Gremlins 2 is an 8-bit NES game that came out in 1990. The game featured the gremlin gizmo and chronicles his adventure from the movie.I remember several years ago renting this game from 2-Day Video, if anyone remembers that, and being really frustrated with it. I played the first level, sucked at it, and never played it again. So I only originally played the game for about 10 minutes. It was until last month that I actually picked the game back up and played it again. The game is just how I remember it, annoying and frustrating but not nearly as difficult as I remember it. The game features a top down view like the Legend of Zelda and features some platforming elements. Now this is a serious problem with the game, it makes it difficult to gauge how far you have to jump to make it to the next platform. This is especially true with the moving platforms. Thankfully there's a store in the game that sells balloons for you to use to fly around for a few seconds if you fall into a hole. Another problem with the game is the weapons, from what I have seen they all suck. Gizmo has tomatoes, matches, a bow, etc. The tomatoes are one of the worst weapons I've seen in a game. As for the enemies their not too bad until you get to stage 2-2, then they get really annoying since they move in random patterns and Gizmo's weapons suck at this point so they just kick his ass. I know it seems like this game sucks but no, its actually kinda fun once you get the hang of the jumping and the weapons. If the controls were better I'd call this game an NES classic but as it is its just a decent game. So its getting close to Halloween and if you want a game featuring some monsters, give this one a try..its not so bad.